


Listen

by iamthearbitraryavian



Category: Star Wars Rebels
Genre: ASL, Family, Star Wars rebels - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-16
Updated: 2015-03-16
Packaged: 2018-03-18 03:28:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3554339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamthearbitraryavian/pseuds/iamthearbitraryavian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ezra is starting to find it difficult to train when Kanan doesnt understand why he is really having a hard time with it. Kanan is becoming frustrated that Ezra doesn't seem to listen to him at all. But with Hera intervening that'll soon change and Ezra is going to have to teach Kanan and the rest now how to listen in a whole new way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Training

**Author's Note:**

> So hi I've been chilling amongst the fanfiction for rebels on here for a while. I've read almost everything. So I decided it was about time I got something started. So here's my contribution. It's been a while since I've written anything that wasn't for a class so let's see how this goes. Reviews are welcome. I have a plan for another story I hope to get started soon too so you'll be seeing quite a bit of me. This is set during the first couple episodes just when they started training before they know anything. Really about Ezra. Just my own little twist on the canon. (Also really sorry I can't figure out how to tab on my iPad if anyone knows please tell me it makes me kinda upset. Format is important to me. Im using the Microsoft word processor if that helps)

Ezra was really trying to listen to Kanan and train but it was difficult for him on the roof of the ship there was a lot going on it was hard to be able to get what he was saying and now this? Kanan didn't understand what he was asking.

"Kid come on just put the blind fold on. All you gotta do is listen to me after you do it and focus. Just do it." Kanan sighed.

Ezra didn't know how to explain it to him. He felt like he'd been there to long now to bring it up. He didn't want them to decide now that he was useless and broken and not worth it because of this. He was really good at hiding it too just not in something like this.

"Kanan I don't think I can. I don't think this will work." Ezra said

"It will if you just listen and focus." Kanan said looking annoyed.

"Yah… That's just it…" Ezra started. He wanted to try to explain but then he couldn't. "Alright fine." He sighed knowing how this might end up going. Kanan smiled and handed the cloth to him and Ezra slowly tied it over his eyes and readied himself with kanan's saber. He had a vague idea of what he was supposed to do but he couldn't get any direction now..

He felt a can whiz passed his head the wind tickled his hair as it passed and he followed it with the saber. He hadn't known they had even started. Everything was delayed now. He could feel kanan's rising anger through the force but he didn't understand how he was supposed to do this he was frustrated he couldn't get any direction and just didn't understand how he was supposed to feel the cans through the force when all he could sense was Kanan's growing frustration and it mixed with his own and clouded any hope of figuring this out.

Then he took a can between the eyes. And landed fell over. The garbage stopped coming or at least he wasn't getting hit with them any more which he had been getting hit with almost all of them as far as he could tell. He stayed on the ground dazed. Kanan's light saber had landed next to him. He felt to defeated now and frustrated to get up. He felt someone kneel down next to him and then Kanan ripped the blindfold off his face.

He looked angrier than he felt through the bond.

"Ezra! Listen to me! You have to focus!" Kanan yelled. Kanan was done he yelled at the kid a few times to get up already and he hadn't even moved.

Ezra saw Zeb behind Kanan laughing. Between that and Kanan yelling at him for something he can't control, His frustration boiled over.

"It'd be easier to focus if you didn't blind fold me!" Ezra yelled back.

"You'd be fine if you would just listen!" Kanan got up throwing up his arms.

"I can't if you do it like this!" Ezra yelled crossing his arms as he looked up at Kanan just watching for a change. He didn't mean to make him so angry.

"No Ezra you can you just won't! Ugh. Just go inside the ship. Training is over for today." Kanan sighed and put his hand over his mouth and ran it down his face. Ezra got up vaguely confused but got the message. He picked up kanan's lights saber and tossed it at him and stalked inside to his and Zeb's room.

"Hera, I don't know what to do! It goes well and then I try something new and he gets frustrated and then he won't even listen!" Kanan said tossing himself into the co-pilot seat.

"Hon." Hera said smiling kindly her eyes not even leaving the controls as she spoke. "Have you considered it's not what you think? I have the feeling that something else is going on. Something that he's not telling us."

"Hera theres a lot he's not telling us. It's not like we can push for him to lower a wall and tell us. I can barely get through to him and I'm supposed to be teaching him this."

"You'll figure it out Kanan." Hera smiled. " I just think maybe you'll have to go about it a little bit differently. Maybe you should try talking to him."

Kanan sighed. "The kid doesn't wanna talk to me." He got up out of the chair.

"This conversation isn't over!" Hera yelled after him as he started to exit.

"I know!" He yelled as he shut the door and stalked off to elsewhere on the ship.

Hera set the ship to auto pilot and leaned back in her seat. If Kanan wasn't going to talk to him then she would.


	2. Heart to heart with hera

Chapter two

"Ezra!" Hera spoke into the com. "Can you come to the cockpit?"

Ezra sat up in his bed. He heard his name but hadn't understood the rest. He leaned over the bunk and looked at Zeb.

"What did Hera say?"

Zeb looked at him with an an eyebrow up and rolled his eyes a little. "She wants you in the cock pit." Then Zeb rolled over trying to get some sleep.

Ezra got down from the bunk and wandered to the cockpit quickly and as quietly as he could in the hopes he wouldn't run into kanan. He made it thankfully to the cock pit without an incident.

Hera was piloting again. She heard the door open and then Ezra sat down next to her. Kanan had said he was angry but the boy now just looked sad.

"Ezra." She spoke softly trying to come about whatever this sensitive subject was lightly. "You know you can tell us whatever is bothering you."

Ezra hadn't caught much of that. He could tell Hera looked like she was trying to be comforting but that was it.

"I'm sorry what?" Ezra said.

Hera looked sadder now. She turned to look at him now turning on auto pilot trying to seem more sincere. She was trying to give off a relaxed tone by piloting so it seemed normal but Ezra wasn't even listening.

"Ezra I said you can tell us what's bothering you. You're one of the crew too."

Ezra was glad she had turned. He didn't like where this was going though. "I don't know what you're talking about." He said crossing his arms.

"Yes you do." Hera said squinting now but the kindness in her expression did not leave. "You have to at least tell Kanan he's just trying to help you. He can't teach you if you don't help him out too Ezra." Hera smiled.

Ezra considered this for a moment. He found Hera very easy to talk to amongst the crew. At least more than Kanan sometimes. He felt like all he did was upset Kanan and he didn't want Kanan to not want him anymore.

"I don't want kanan to not want me around anymore." Ezra signed looking down at his feet. He felt hera's hand on his shoulder and looked back at her face. She looked sad again.

"Ezra. Kanan is never going to not want you around because of this. No matter what it is you are a part of the crew. You belong with us now."

Ezra smiled a little at that. Then he decided. It was no used. He couldn't hide this forever and he might as well tell Hera first. He trusted her, sorta. So he reached his hand up to the side of his head and pulled a small metal circle out of his ear slowly and showed it to her.

"I'm hearing impaired. This helps me hear a little better." He wiggled it a little then stuck it back in his ear so he'd at least be able to understand a response. He watched her face. It was unchanging her caring look remained. No pity as he had feared. So he breathed and continued.

"I'm not completely deaf but I'm kinda close I guess at least as far as I know. I can hear some sounds. But it's hard when there's a lot of other noise like on top of the ship I can't hear Kanan over the wind and the engines and I depend a lot more on lip reading so it's really hard to do training up there if I can't see his face." Ezra rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't even know what I sound like sometimes and when my parents were around they let me depend a lot more on sign language than speaking so it's just a little hard to communicate. I'm not always sure what you guys are saying even if you're looking directly at me. It's not like lip reading is a perfect art but I can hear you a little most of the so that helps."

There was silence then and Ezra got worried until he looked back up finally at Hera and she was smiling. "Ezra." She said. "Thank you for telling me." Then her expression changed as her eye brows knit together. "Why didn't you tell us earlier? This doesn't change anything. If anything it's made living with us harder because we didn't know."

"Well it's not like I'm used to having to tell people my problems or trusting anybody. I didn't want you to think I was useless." Ezra said sadly.

Hera wondered angrily for a moment what could have happened to him to make him think that this made him anything less than anyone else. Then determined she put both her hands on his shoulders.

"Now you listen to me Ezra bridger! You are not useless. You can do anything. You are nothing less because of this if anything it just makes you all that much stronger than the rest of us." She said finishing off shaking her head as if agreeing to her own words.

Then Ezra surprised her. He moved out of his chair and awkwardly hugged her while she stayed seated. She was surprised for a moment but then moved her arms to return the boys embrace. She was sure he needed it then she pushed him back keeping her hands on his arms.

"Is it alright with you if I tell Kanan and then the rest of the crew?" She asked carefully.

Ezra considered for a second then nodded while moving his hand in a knocking motion without even thinking about that.

Hera nodded back then noticed the motion. "Ezra, what's that?" She asked motioning towards his hand.

Ezra's face flushed but he answered. "It's just sign." He said embarrassed he hadn't even noticed. He was getting comfortable. Maybe to comfortable he had slipped up and talked to Hera like he used to be able to speak to his mother…

"What does it mean?" Hera asked.

"Yes."

"Oh." She nodded laughing quietly at herself for not getting that right away. "Do you think you could teach me more of that?" She asked. "I think it'll be helpful. Especially on missions." She wanted to learn just to make sure he knew every aspect of him was important but she knew he'd feel better about it if it was about being a contributing member of the crew. She knew how important to him that was and she'd make sure he would know eventually.

Ezra smiled widely and did the motion again.

"Good. Thank you Ezra." Hera smiled as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I have plans for the plot to really start going places. Get more into this Ezra's past and also a villain will be coming real soon just you wait. Leave a review and let me know what you think or if you have any suggestions. :) I'd love any feedback.


	3. Opening up

Hera knocked on kanan's door. She assumed he was mediating to cool off but he'd had enough time and this was more important. Ezra was more important.

"Kanan!" Hera shouted through the door. "We need to talk!" She knocked again and started to consider overriding the door but then it slid open.

"What Hera?" Kanan asked looking a little annoyed he'd been interrupted in his meditation.

"It's about Ezra." She stated simply and his eyes widened a little before he moved aside to let her into his room. She'd decided to tell Kanan first before the rest of the crew. She wanted Kanan to be able to have some time to go speak to Ezra while she spoke to the rest of the crew.

"So?" Kanan asked after the door closed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. I just got Ezra to open up to me a little. I found out what's bothering him Kanan. He wasn't intending to not listen to you earlier during training Kanan. He's trying really hard. Harder than you think." Hera started.

Kanan nodded sitting down on the bed waiting for her to continue.

"Kanan he's hard of hearing. I don't know how we didn't notice but you should know I told him it's not changing anything. He thought we would think he's useless if we knew. But it explains earlier. He needs to be able to see your face if there's a lot of other noise going on so he can understand you so he can read your lips." Hera finished.

Kanan had a rush of guilt wash over him and put his head in his hands. How had he not noticed? He'd yelled at Ezra for not listening to him when he really could not hear him instructing him anyways. No wonder Ezra had been so frustrated when he blindfolded him. He'd not only cut off his sense of sight like he intended but he'd cut off what Ezra needed to be instructed. That was never what Kanan intended he just wanted to help him learn to trust in the force but all he'd done was make Ezra feel like he wasn't enough and that wasn't true at all.

"Hera what have I done? Ugh the stuff I said to him! If I'd known I'd have waited for that lesson until we were somewhere where he'd be able to hear me!" Kanan said.

"He doesn't hate you, love." Hera said. "He understands he was just frustrated. Just and talk to him and apologize he'll understand that's not what you intended. He just wants you to be proud and feel wanted."

"I do want him here." Kanan said. "He doesn't understand that? I'm not gonna get rid of him because I'm messing up teaching."

"Kanan you're doing the best you can." Hera replied

"Well it's not enough."

Hera sighed. She wasn't getting through to him today. Probably best to let him figure that one out himself.

"I'm going to go update the rest of the crew." She said heading towards the door. "Go talk to him." She said opening the door. "Oh and Kanan. He knows something called sign. I think it'll make him feel more like part of the crew if we learn it. You should ask him about it." And with that she left.

Kanan got up and paced his room for a moment considering what he was going to say for what a total nerf herder he had been to Ezra. He finally resolved that he didn't have much time and he'd just have to go and find him and just figure it out as he went along so he went down the hall to Ezra's room just as Hera started the meeting in the common room with chop, Zeb, and Sabine. He overrode the door and it slid open. Ezra had his back turned to him. He was laying on the top bunk facing the wall, he hadn't even noticed Kanan had entered.

"Ezra?" Kanan said as he entered. The boy still didn't roll over. He was either still mad or he just hadn't heard him. Kanan hoped for the latter.

He walked over and nudged the boy on the shoulder. Ezra rolled over and sat up after he noticed it was Kanan. Kanan started to speak "Ezra look.." Then he noticed the boy was pulling something out of his hand and putting them in his ears so he waited.

"Sorry." Ezra said looking now at Kanan. "Um.. They get a little uncomfortable when I wear them a lot.. I though I was alone.." Ezra looked embarrassed. Kanan realized Ezra had just put in hearing aids that he had been hiding from him in front of him for the first time. He didn't want Ezra to be embarrassed of something like that.

"Ezra. It's okay." Kanan said trying to send reassuring waves through the force. "I don't care. Well no that's not what I mean." Kanan walked about a little rubbing the back of his neck. "I do care. I wish that you had told me earlier so I wouldn't have made such a butt of myself earlier." He said and Ezra let out a tiny laugh. "But that's not your fault I'm sorry Ezra. I shouldn't have lost my temper something I'm trying to teach you to control." He smiled and Ezra stopped looking so uncomfortable with Kanan being in his room.

"It's okay Kanan. I should have told you earlier. I'm sorry I didn't. You guys deserve to know I see that now. I'm really trying to open up more like you keep saying but it's hard." Kanan smiled. He was glad the kid wasn't angry with him. So he climbed up into Ezra's bunk and sat next to him then ruffled his padawan's hair. "Do or do not there is no try." Kanan said smirking at him and Ezra laughed at his grin then Ezra's smile faded.

"You're not mad at me?" Ezra asked.

"No. I'm glad I finally have a greater understanding now." Kanan responded. "I'm not gonna get rid of you over anything. You're stuck with me kid."

Ezra smiled and nodded.

"Buttt…" Kanan started "I would like to get in on this sign thing that Hera told me about of you are willing."

Ezra smiled and then signed at Kanan he pointed to himself then pressed his palm to his chest and pulled it away from himself until it was held Palm up in front of himself with his pinky resting against his lower ribs.

Kanan's eyes softened and he smiled back at his padawan. "What's that mean?" He asked.

"I'm willing" Ezra answered.


End file.
